When I was younger, my mom would struggle with her inner demons. I remember when my mom and I were sleeping on the streets together. We slept among other unhoused people surrounded by trash. It was dirty, cold, and miserable. I had one pair of clothing that I wore throughout our stay on the streets. I did not understand what was going on because I was so little and I felt scared.

Although I slept on the street, I never stopped going to school. My mom didn’t want her struggles to get in the way of my education. We would wake up while it was still dark out, gather our stuff, and then walk to school. I did that for two weeks until I got in trouble. At that time, I was in second grade and this was the first time I got in trouble that year. During lunch, one of the kids started to make jokes about people’s appearances. He turned his attention to me and cracked some jokes. I played along with it, but he started making fun of my family. I didn’t like that so I defended myself and he started to cry. The staff members saw his tears. The boy told them that I was the one making fun of him. I was taken to the principal’s office. The principal decided to send me home. Little did he know, I did not have a home.

My aunt was the emergency contact the school had on file. She picked up my mom and went to the office where I was at. They talked to the principal who let them know what the other boy had claimed. As we drove away, my mom was mad at me because of what the principal told her. We went to my aunt’s house. The whole family was there. The whole family now believed that I was a bad kid. That did not stop my aunt from opening up her home to my mom and me. I stayed there for three weeks and got in contact with my dad.

I started getting closer to my dad and would call him more often. As I got more comfortable with him, I decided to visit my dad for a week. That whole week was one of the most memorable and joyous times of my life. I told my mom that I would like to live with my dad. I thought it was the best decision for me. I packed my bag and got all my stuff and moved to my dad's house. I went to a new school and met new people and made new friends. I started a new life, but I had not seen my mom in months and wanted to talk to her. My dad connected me to her. We talked and she slowly started coming back into my life.

Unfortunately, she brought her old habits with her and got my dad involved in those things. That ruined a lot of things for me. It ruined the time that I wanted to spend with my dad. It ruined what I wanted to do. It ruined my life again. It all came crashing down outside of a Lowes parking lot one night. My mom, dad, and I were in the parking lot when the police knocked on the car window. Those old habits resulted in the police cuffing my dad, mom, and me. Within fifteen minutes, my parents lost custody of me. I was transferred to the foster care system.

I wasn’t homeless, but I didn’t have a stable home until my aunt opened the doors of her house to me. It’s taken some time for us to learn how to be a family. It makes sense. She didn’t know how to take in a kid and raise him as her own. However, she has given me a stable home.

© III". All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.